The Chord
by Lord Xavius
Summary: In spite of her designation, Odette Engelbrecht is no human. She's a mechanical, computer-based alien creature referred to as a 'codex'. After her human 'father' is killed by ADVENT personnel, she flees into a blizzard but forcibly powers down in the storm. Four years later, as the full-on war with the alien regime escalates, a splinter team of XCOM operatives discover her remains.


**Welcome to _The Chord_ , the indirect/stand-alone sequel to _Methods of Interrogation_. After nine hours in development, hopefully it will have been worth the wait.**

 **I can be reached at my fanfic sight of MY name, and my favorite class is ME.**

 **Thanks, and have fun!**

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Night in the Alps had descended not four hours before, and the stars above the mountain range were covered by thick, dark clouds. The winds had picked up heavily and whistled loudly, snow was falling in great amounts and being thrown about in the current of air as the maturing blizzard grew stronger, and through it all, a lone figure wandered.

It was dressed in ski pants and a large red parka coat with a fur-lined hood concealing its head and protecting from the harsh elements. Every step it took through the frigid terrain left a track in the foot-deep snow, which was eventually covered up by the blinding storm, leaving nothing in its wake. It continued on its trek for some time through the seemingly never-ending mountain, when a small house, one of a sturdy metal build came into view.

Without flaw, it approached the building. Managing to shuffle up to the front door, which appeared to be a tall slab of ice-encrusted steel with a lock over the door handle to keep it closed, it lifted one of its gloved hands and brushed some snow from it to get a better look. After pushing the latch up and removing it from its resting spot, getting a firm grip on the handle, it pulled the door open and quickly slipped inside.

Flicking a light switch nearby within the inky blackness in an almost instinctive maneuver, the overhead lights went on, illuminating both the figure and the hallway it was standing in. Pulling the door behind it shut and taking a few steps into the hall, which lead downward and into the very ground itself, it set to removing its gloves from its hands; their function no longer needed.

"Father, I'm home!" it said in a heavily electronic, but vaguely female voice as it also pulled its hood down to reveal what was beneath it afterword. What lied underneath was not even remotely human. Its head was an amalgamation of dark metal and glowing red, integrated circuits running over its crown, with the only 'facial features' it bore being two bright white optical units that flashed like a the lights hanging over it, as a black, smoky substance flowed out from its cranium like an imitation of hair. If there was anyone who had enough knowledge of the organization ADVENT and the alien regime they served, they would know it was a codex; an enigmatic mechanical creature who's function was to act as a high-mobility soldier of imperative calculating and computing power, and nothing more.

Yet, this one _was_ more.

"Father," it called out again. As the being removed the rest of that last jacket and tossed it to the ground with her coat, she revealed her transparent, feminine, golden body; the upper part of which was covered in a blue tank top, and the lower portion in a pair of plain brown jeans. The robotic-based creature's very form appeared to phase about in a continuous flux of rapid movement, but otherwise remained physically stable and stationary where it currently stood.

Kicking her boots off in a final motion, she then began walking forward through the household, searching for her so-called parent. "I've finished looking over the perimeter like you wanted. I didn't see anything of interest you may have to worry about," she went on, passing into the living area. As she turned to gaze to it, she froze in place at what sight caught her eyes.

Three shapes greeted her, and of them one was lying on the smooth, metal floor, a trail of crimson ichor leaking from his body. His gray-bearded face laid to the side and as his lifeless eyes looked in her direction, the codex let out a muffled gasp of horror. It was her father, and it didn't take her a second to realize he was dead where he rested.

Instantly staring back up to the other two as they noticed her and also cast her a glance through their helmeted heads, she recognized them as ADVENT soldiers - a trooper and an officer - within her rapidly-processing head. She had seen images of them from the data her father had collected in the past, but this terrifying moment was the first time she remembered seeing one in person.

The ADVENT officer, rifle in one hand, pointed at her after the staring came to an end, shouting something indiscernible in his technologically-enhanced, robotic voice. Panic overtaking the codex as she saw the other raise his own weapon, she stumbled back and tripped over her own legs. Shielding herself with her arms in reaction, she suddenly vanished in a flash before either soldier could reach her; teleported away from their grasp.

As she disappeared from inside of the house, a brilliant flash appeared just outside of it, through the blackness and falling snow. The codex fell from the two feet in the air she materialized in, and landed in the snow with a swift _plop_. As soon as she had stood back up and gotten to her legs, she ran. She ran her thin and speedy form as fast as she could go, away from the house and into the storm like a dash of lightning. She had been told enough times by her father that if an event like this were to take place, this was what she had to do.

But while she heeded her father's advice well, she didn't get too far. The frigid air began to take its toll on her mechanical-based body, and when she realized what was happening, the codex didn't know what could be done to remedy the situation.

" _Dammit..._ " she cursed to herself for her fear-induced stupidity, only for the wind to cancel out her words over its dull, whistling roar. In her haste to escape her father's killers and pursuers, she had forgotten to grab her coat, ski pants, or any other warm, protective gear for the outside. She was in the middle of some of the highest peaks in the Alps, in the dead of winter, a storm blowing about through the night air around her, and she was without any form of protection against it. Ice quickly began to collect and form over the codex's metallic head and the clothing covering her body. The blank, light-like eyes she possessed began to flicker as she tried to continue forward in a determined manner, each step becoming more sluggish than the last until she couldn't even move.

Standing in the snow, unable to go on further, her holographic form of living data flickering about as it began to lose the power to hold itself together. With a sudden sputter and gasp of unkempt surprise, the codex's body vanished into thin air, and the only truly physical part of it - the metal head and brain stem - dropped like a wet stone to the snowy ground, landing on top of the newly-freed clothes that no longer had anything to remain attached to.

And there the head lied as snow began to build over it. Its eyes flickered, but never truly went out as the blizzard raged on mercilessly.

And all it could see was the storm.


End file.
